


Hollywood

by orphan_account



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Actors, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Films, Flirting, M/M, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 12:13:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6906604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Obi-Wan is looking for one more big blockbuster film before he can settle down and retire to indie flicks and escape the media circus. Anakin is the next up-and-coming star, involved in every scandal going. A 2016 Obikin Big Bang story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hollywood

**Author's Note:**

> So, probably against my better judgement given that this is exam season, I decided to sign up for the 2016 Obikin Big Bang. It's a pairing I enjoy reading fics about but haven't written about before, so this seemed like a good opportunity to start. I've really enjoyed creating an AU and messing around with the characters - but I'm also a bit sad, because I'm literally in the middle of my exams so I haven't had time to give this fic the attention it deserves. Some day I might expand this universe out and write a proper story - for now, I hope you like the appetiser and that I haven't strayed too far from the original characterisation.
> 
> I wrote this whilst listening to Hollywood by Marina and the Diamonds on repeat. If you want a soundtrack to this story, that is it.

Obi-Wan raised one eyebrow as he flicked through the script, his eyes carefully scanning the pages.

“Science fiction?”

“Your last few films have all been very high-brow – dramas, political comedies. If you want to maintain your versatility it’s time for something a bit lighter. This looks fun, it’s got the potential to pull in the younger crowd – and whilst you might not admit it, I know you want a change too.”

Obi-Wan allowed his lip to curl up in a smile. “You know me too well, Cody.”

“It’s a Yoda and Windu production, and they’ve been throwing around some big names in connection with it. I’d be surprised if it didn’t end up being the next big thing on its release. I know you don’t need the publicity, but it won’t hurt you to do another big blockbuster.”

“I imagine the press will be a nightmare.”

“With all due respect, when are they not?”

Obi-Wan tilted his head to concede the point. He was still engrossed in the script – unsurprisingly, given that it had been picked up by Yoda and Windu, it was excellent. He was sorely tempted.

“You’ve been making films for more than thirty years. If you do one last big thing, you can probably go back to your little independent films and still get work into your eighties – or whenever you want to retire. Just one more big media circus and that can be it. I wouldn’t turn this one down.”

Obi-Wan reached the last page of the script and set it down, smoothing out the paper.

“Fine, you’ve convinced me. The script’s good, and I can cope with a bit more paparazzi involvement for a few months.” He paused. “Do you know who they’re looking at for my partner?”

“I haven’t heard anything concrete, but if you can believe the rumours, Anakin Skywalker.”

“Who?”

Cody snorted. “I forget you don’t keep up with the media. He’s the latest ‘big thing’. Very talented – I’ve seen some of his films – but a bit of a prick. Big ladies’ man. There was some kind of drugs scandal to a while back, but that’s all been brushed over and forgotten by now.”

The thing with Hollywood was there were plenty of moderately-talented assholes. Some people got their first taste of fame and just went off the rails. Obi-Wan had met and worked with plenty of them – but as long as they were professional on set, he really didn’t care what sort of mess they made of their private life.

“Let me guess – he’s one of Palpatine’s?”

“Got it in one. But if he’s as into the party lifestyle as his reputation suggests, you’ll probably never see him outside of the set. And I think he’s on a warning after punching some pap, so he can’t try anything anyway.”

“He punched the paparazzi?”

“I can’t remember the details. Do a Google search when you get home. Anyway, I had best call Windu and let him know you’re in. Any script requests?”

Obi-Wan shook his head. “Looks all good to me, but I won’t know until I’ve had a read-through. Let me know when that’s sorted out.”

“Look after yourself, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan graced his agent with a rare, genuine smile. “I always do.”

/

“Ahh, Mr Kenobi!”

The first read-through was always chaotic – half the people there didn’t know each other, and even those that did were too busy hoping everything would work out to properly socialise. Obi-Wan knew the drill by now, but he was still glad to hear the familiar voice.

“It’s been too long, Mace.” He turned towards the man, a smile in his eyes.

“And don’t I know it. I was actually in Cusco for a shoot three months ago, almost dropped in and surprised you, but then we had to do reshoots and there wasn’t any time.”

“I know the feeling. I nearly missed today because of reshoots, but Cody talked them out of it. Those scenes were perfect anyway – some people don’t know when to leave well alone.”

“Well it’s damn good you made it because this is the only day this month Skywalker can make. Something to do with press tours. If he wasn’t such a good actor I’d have dropped him for the mess of his schedule.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. It was unlike Mace Windu to make allowances – this Skywalker must be better than he’d thought.

“I’m not familiar with him, or his work.”

Mace Windu laughed. “In that case, Kenobi, you’re in for a surprise. He’s a character. A right fucking diva if there ever was one, and a complete nightmare in some respects, but he’s the most damn convincing actor I’ve ever seen. Just don’t let him get to you.”

“Get to me?”

Mace laughed again. “You’ll understand when you meet him. Now, I need to talk to Mundi about the script, but I’ll see you in the read-through.”

Obi-Wan gave a polite nod, waiting for Mace to walk away before fishing for his phone. He was starting to get intrigued about this Skywalker.

He had been tempted to just Google him after the initial meeting with Cody, but the media had a habit of distorting perceptions and he hadn’t wanted to get an inaccurate impression. However, if Skywalker was half as talented as Mace said, it might be interesting to see what other films he had done before ending up here.

However, before he could start his Google search, he was interrupted by the appearance of Cody.

“Unless you fancy being late for the first time in your life, it’s time to go.”

“That late already?” Obi-Wan took a steady breath to centre himself, pushing thoughts of Skywalker out of his mind. “Of course. Let’s go.”

The studio was still chaotic, but Obi-Wan noticed the crowd had started to thin out – apparently he really had lost track of time. He hoped his focus wasn’t deserting him now.

“It shouldn’t be a complicated read-through – they’re just making sure all the characters have been understood the way Yoda and Mundi want them to be. I don’t anticipate any problems. They’ll need to check for chemistry between you and Skywalker too, of course, but from what I’ve heard he never has any issue with that.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. He’s broken the heart of more than one female co-star because it’s all been just an act. Not that that stops him sleeping with them if rumour can be believed.”

“If all the rumours were true, Cody, I would be living in a shack in the remote mountains with five hundred cats, or the equivalent of the playboy mansion.”

“Very true. Although if the cats would help-“

“Cody.”

Obi-Wan pretended he didn’t hear the snort his agent let out.

The door to the reading room was ajar, but very little noise emanated from it – most people seemed to be flicking through the script, or in deep discussion with agents over specific points. In a way, Obi-Wan was glad he wasn’t expected to participate in small talk.

His chair was towards the front of the room, and he idly noticed the empty one with ‘Skywalker’ emblazoned on it next to his. Apparently his co-star wasn’t here yet. Obi-Wan hoped Skywalker wasn’t one of those actors who couldn’t do mornings – he wasn’t the youngest actor out there now, and too many late evenings caught up to him a bit. Besides, he had always been more of a morning person.

“Coffee?” Cody asked.

“I’m fine thank you Cody. I’m hoping this won’t take so long that I have to resort to caffeine.”

Obi-Wan pulled out his copy of the script, flipping to the first section he’d highlighted.

“I’ll remind you of the optimism of that statement when we’re still here at 9pm.” Cody quipped.

Obi-Wan smiled. “I couldn’t possibly leave my non-existent cats alone for that long.”

Cody’s laugh rang out loudly in the quiet space.

“Is everyone here?”

Obi-Wan glanced up as Mace, Yoda, and Ki-Adi Mundi entered. He nodded his head politely at Yoda, receiving a nod from the elderly producer in return. Yoda had been the first producer Obi-Wan had ever worked with, and he had nothing but respect for the man. He was a creative genius, and the only one who could keep the more eccentric of Mace’s ideas in check.

“Ahh. Skywalker. Well, Palpatine said they might be late, so I suppose we can start without him.” Mace’s voice curled unpleasantly around ‘Palpatine’, and Obi-Wan internally shuddered at the reminder he had to work with the man. “The first hangar scene, perhaps. Obi-Wan?”

Obi-Wan flipped his script to the required page. This was a nice scene – easy enough to get into the frame of mind and act, but with enough interesting components to make it fun. He took a few moments to settle himself into the mindset he’d decided for the character, then began to read.

/

It wasn’t until the first tea break that a squeal of breaks announced Skywalker’s arrival.

Obi-Wan had to say he was enjoying himself. The script read as well as he’d hoped, and most of his co-stars seemed both confident and competent. There had been a few minor issues with playing certain scenes, but everything was going as smoothly as it ever did at this stage. Even Cody, who normally sat through these with a look of boredom consuming twenty cups of coffee, seemed to be having a good time.

“Excellent. With Skywalker here we can move onto the introductory scene. Obi-Wan, you had some questions for Mundi about this one?”

“I might see how it reads first. Depending on how Skywalker and I get on, some of the lines might not work.”

It was an interesting concept for a scene, and one of the few Obi-Wan had struggled to get his head around. It could be played in a number of ways. But he respected Ki-Adi Mundi, and presumably he’d chosen the lines for a reason, even if that wasn’t obvious to Obi-Wan yet. He knew better than to criticise these decisions too much at so early a stage.

“Apologies for our lateness, we only arrived back from Beijing at 4am.”

Palpatine’s voice was smooth and slick, and a few hairs on the back of Obi-Wan’s neck rose. The man gave him the creeps in a way that few did. He glanced up, taking in his polished appearance, before allowing his eyes to slide across to his companion.

Something twisted in his stomach in a way that hadn’t happened for years.

Skywalker – assuming that was him – was probably twenty five or so, with hair that sat in messy curls just shy of bed-head. His eyes were rimmed in shadows from jet-lag, but they still shone out with an air that sent shivers down Obi-Wan’s spine. He was fairly tall and radiated confidence, almost to the extent of arrogance, and the shirt he was wearing highlighted every plane of his chest.

Obi-Wan didn’t have a ‘type’. Throughout his many years, he’d very rarely seen anyone he was attracted to – and those that did invoke that sensation were as different as the sun and the moon. But something about this man…

Cody was right. There were going to be no issues with chemistry in this partnership, at least on Obi-Wan’s side.

“Of course, I understand. Thank you for coming all this way. A pleasure to meet you again, Mr Skywalker.”

The man turned towards Mace and one side of his face curled up. It wasn’t quite a mocking smile, but it carried an air of self-importance that marred his features.

Of course. Obi-Wan had almost forgotten Skywalker’s reputation for being a complete asshole.

“The pleasure is all mine.”

Obi-Wan’s eyebrows twitched at the accent. Canadian perhaps? He hadn’t expected that.

Skywalker’s eyes flicked over the assembled crowd, settling on his seat. As they brushed over Obi-Wan something lit up in them – recognition? Perhaps he wasn’t as adverse to Googling his co-stars as Obi-Wan tended to be.

Obi-Wan took a breath to settle himself before he did something strange. It was hardly the first time he had experienced attraction to a co-star, even if it hadn’t happened for a very long time. He was a master of compartmentalisation. He would be fine. This was hardly the time and place. Besides, Skywalker was showing every sign of being just as self-centred as his reputation suggested. Obi-Wan could never get on well with someone like that.

By the time Skywalker settled into the seat next to Obi-Wan, he had pushed all inappropriate thoughts away.

“In the interests of expediency and getting home before midnight, I’m going to start the introductory scene now.”

Obi-Wan nodded to himself at Mace’s words, glancing down at the script. In a way, that instant attraction to Skywalker could be beneficial here. It gave him an angle he hadn’t previously considered. It was worth exploring at any rate – this was a run-through, it didn’t matter if it didn’t work.

“What page?” The voice was quiet, and Obi-Wan might have jumped had he not taken the time to centre himself.

He turned to his newly-arrived co-star, making eye contact for the briefest of moments. “42. But you don’t actually come in until 44.”

“Thanks.” Skywalker turned back to his script, and Obi-Wan did the same.

Well. At least the man was getting on with the job rather than trying to make small-talk or making demands or complaints. This partnership might work out after all.

Obi-Wan skimmed over his first few lines one last time, then settled in to read.

/

“You like him.”

Obi-Wan glanced up at Cody before turning away, a smile on his lips.

“I admire the work ethic of someone who comes in for a first read-through on minimal sleep and gets on with the job. You’re right, he’s very good. I think it’ll come off well on screen.”

“I told you he was good. But please stop with the misdirection. I’ve known you for years, Obi-Wan. I knew you when Qui-Gon was around. You don’t just think he’s going to make a good co-star, you actually like him.”

Obi-Wan took a moment to glance around Dexter’s. It was quiet, few people choosing to eat at a diner quite this late, but the paparazzi could never be trusted to keep normal hours.

“I don’t know him. I reserve judgement until I’ve actually had a conversation with him as myself, rather than as Ben. Besides, we’ve had this conversation many times Cody. There’s no need for you to meddle in my life outside of the studio.”

“Need, no. But that’s mostly because you never _have_ a life outside of the studio. Skywalker’s reputation’s a bit wild, but it could do you good to have some wildness in your life.”

“I think after you’ve hit forty all obligation to be wild is lost.”

Cody sighed. “Sometimes I almost forget that you used to be fun.”

Obi-Wan shook his head, but he was smiling. “You want to go back to running around bribing paparazzi into not exposing scandals?”

“You were never that scandalous. And hey, it’s always nice to have a challenge.”

Fortunately, whatever Cody might have said next was interrupted by the arrival of food.

“Thanks, Dex.”

Dexter grinned down at Obi-Wan.

“Haven’t seen you around here for a while, Obi-Wan. Almost wondered if you were ever coming back!”

“Location shoots. I was in Peru for a month, Vancouver before that. I’m off again for a press tour in the UK next week, but I’ll be back in June.”

“I’d better see you in June then, my boy.”

Dexter ambled off, and Obi-Wan smiled, picking up a fork.

“Speaking of that press tour, you know you’re going to get asked about upcoming projects. Interviewers can never stick to their prescribed question list these days. Have you cleared things to talk about with Windu?”

“Not much. He and Yoda want to keep everything as quiet as possible. I’ll think of some spiel about how I’m excited to work with them again, and how much I like Mundi’s script. It should be easy enough to deflect any probing questions, given that I’m there to discuss Gun Runners.”

“Ten bucks says they ask about working with Skywalker.”

“Then I’ll just say I’m excited to be working with him and leave it at that. There’s very little I can say – I’ve never seen any of his films and I haven’t spoken to him. They can’t catch me out there.”

“Rarely am I so glad that you are incapable of following social media.”

“I’m not incapable, I just have no interest. And your PR team apparently does a fantastic job of taking care of all that for me.”

“I should tell them to tweet out about cats.”

“Sometimes I wonder if I pay you to promote me or to ruin my reputation.”

Cody laughed. “Live a little, Obi-Wan.”

“The fact that I don’t bother with this sort of thing is exactly what allows me to ‘live a little’.”

“I’ll drink to that.”

Obi-Wan smiled. As strange as this day had been, some things at least would never change.

/

“Your facial hair doesn’t grow fast enough.”

Obi-Wan smiled apologetically at Dorme. “My PR team insisted I remain mostly clean shaven for the press tour. Apparently too much facial hair would have given the wrong impression.”

“Your PR team has become my new worst enemy. Fortunately everything else should be relatively simple here. Close your eyes.”

Obi-Wan let his eyes fall closed and sank into meditation. After many years, makeup had become his chance to relax and muse on the day’s work. It was the first day of filming, and he had plenty to think about.

They were starting with a scene halfway through the script because of the availability of one of the actresses, which was fine, but it meant Obi-Wan had to guess how everyone would play the scenes leading up to it. He had a fairly good grasp of how everything would play out, but he didn’t know everyone involved well enough to have ironed out the fine details.

“Ahh, Anakin. Take a seat, this shouldn’t take too long, there’s nothing complicated today.”

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to peek. He hadn’t seen his co-star for three weeks, and he wanted to discuss the upcoming scene with him.

 It was also the first time he’d heard him referred to by his first name. Presumably Skywalker had also worked with this makeup team before.

“I heard something about contacts?”

“It’s your choice. You can wear them or they can edit it in afterwards. I told Windu about your allergies so he’s letting you choose whether or not you risk it.”

Obi-Wan let himself settle back into meditation, tuning out the conversation. For all of Anakin’s diva reputation – and the stories he’d heard from interviewers on his press tour – he seemed harmless enough here. Besides, it was rude to eavesdrop.

“… Padme?”

He tuned back in at the mention of the name.

He’d met Padme back when she was an apprentice make-up artist, before she made the switch to acting and made herself famous. He hadn’t seen her in a few years, but he couldn’t help but be curious about her connection to his co-star.

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Skywalker’s voice sounded stilted – somewhere between awkward and angry.

“You broke up again? Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“She’s busy. I’m busy. It’s fine.” The short, clipped responses made Obi-Wan tense. The last thing he needed was Anakin too worked up on their first day.

“Alright Obi-Wan, we’re done.”

Obi-Wan almost startled at Dorme’s voice. He’d almost forgotten why he was here.

“Thank you, Dorme.” He opened his eyes, glancing up at her and trying to give Skywalker his privacy.

“Come back at lunch for a touch up, and whatever you do don’t touch your chin. That beard won’t stay on if you fiddle with it, and if you start filming crooked we’ll need to use a fake for the entire duration.”

“Or I’ll just have to trim mine incorrectly and look like an idiot.” Obi-Wan smiled and stood up, easing his stiff muscles. He was definitely getting old.

“Windu’s in studio three. I think he wanted to talk to you about how to play this.”

“I was going to ask for a meeting anyway. Thanks again.”

Obi-Wan managed to leave the room without glancing once at Skywalker. In his peripheral vision, he thought he saw the man looking at him, but he resisted the urge to look back.

“Kenobi. We have a problem.” Mace looked agitated.

Obi-Wan sighed internally.

“Already?”

“Valorum wants a body double for some of the scene, so I’m changing the order. We’re doing the vase scene first. Can you work with that?”

“That shouldn’t be a problem, I know the lines. Have you spoken to Ahsoka and Skywalker?”

“Ahsoka’s fine with it, I haven’t seen Skywalker yet.”

“How do you want me to approach Ahsoka’s character in this? Are we still antagonistic?”

“To an extent. Yoda wanted you to be thawing towards her at this stage, but Mundi wrote it quite sharply, so use your discretion. I’ll tell you if you go too far one way or if something doesn’t work.”

“Ideally I would have run through this with Skywalker.”

“They’re still setting up the cameras, so you have time. Pass on the message about the scene change too. Where has my assistant gone?”

Recognising he had been dismissed, Obi-Wan moved away, idly looking for Cody. Instead, he spotted Skywalker, looking irritated at the edge of the room.

“Have you been told about the scene change?”

Skywalker glanced up as Obi-Wan approached. Obi-Wan would swear he saw the man’s eyes momentarily flick up and down, almost like he was cataloguing his appearance.

“Scene change? Fuck. To what?”

“The vase scene – the one we were going to do tomorrow. Something about Valorum and a body double.”

Anakin raised a hand as if to run it through his hair, before lowering it again with a grimace. It was a potent reminder of how he hadn’t actually been in this business very long.

“Well, at least I know the lines. I’ll run it through with Palpatine.”

“I wanted to discuss the tone you were planning on taking for these scenes.”

To Obi-Wan’s surprise, Anakin smirked. “Right. Well by this stage, I think there’s plenty of angst and sexual tension to work with between Vader and Ben, so I was going to play on that. I might improv a little with it if Windu seems relaxed enough. I sort of envisaged you as playing it fairly seriously, relaxing a little with Fulcrum and just adding a little spice and tension to the mix. But I’ll play off you, I’m better at improvising off a partner than having a partner improvise off me.”

Obi-Wan frowned. “Sexual tension?”

“You hadn’t noticed that? I read it as a fairly big part of the script. Certainly the characters have chemistry. It’s all got to be subtle, of course, but it’s there – and I don’t see a problem with playing it.” He smirked again, and this time his eyes definitely moved to check Obi-Wan out.

Shit.

Had he actually ended up in this situation?

“I considered it when I read the script, but I was going to play it more as a brotherly bond. We can try variants of both, I suppose.”

“I really don’t think brothers act quite like Ben and Vader do around each other. But then again, I never had a brother, so I don’t have a base to work off.”

“I’m happy to try it your way, but Mace might change it. He always has a very specific vision in mind, even if he doesn’t tell anyone else what it is.”

“I think he’ll like it my way.”

The confidence with which Skywalker said it shouldn’t have been attractive. It was arrogant, self-entitled, but Obi-Wan felt his stomach constrict. This was ridiculous. The man was at least fifteen years younger than Obi-Wan, and from the sounds of it recently broken up with his girlfriend. Yes, he didn’t seem to be straight, but Obi-Wan was not down to be someone’s rebound fuck.

“We’ll see.”

Anakin smirked again. He should patent that facial expression – it was on his face more than it had any right to be. No-one outside of novels actually smirked that much.

“Right, I’m going to talk to Snips. I’ll see you on set, Obi-Wan.”

Oh, the way he said Obi-Wan’s name was practically sinful.

“Snips?”

“Ahsoka. She and I go way back.”

“Ahh.” Obi-Wan paused. Something stirred in his chest that had been dormant for a long time. “Of course, _Anakin_.”

The expression of surprise and success in Anakin’s eyes made it all worth it.

/

“Cut!”

Obi-Wan glanced over at Mace, shaking himself out of his ‘Ben’ mindset.

“Ahsoka, be a little less defensive. You’re not on trial here, you’re just having a conversation. Valorum, you need to sort out that facial expression in the background. Skywalker, Kenobi, good. I like the chemistry. Just remember you’re partners in war, not space husbands. I don’t care what you do off set, but this is a job, not foreplay.”

Obi-Wan felt like slamming his head into a wall. Mace was a fantastic director, but sometimes his bluntness could be too much. Besides, this really wasn’t his fault.

Cody had been right – Anakin was _fantastic_. Every part of him vanished whenever the cameras started to roll to be replaced by Vader. He didn’t just act the character – he _was_ the character, body and soul. Obi-Wan had very rarely worked with someone with so much talent.

However, this Vader wasn’t quite the one on the script. He wasn’t the competent pilot who tried to run the show but actually answered to other people. He had elements of spice, of sexuality, that just weren’t there in the words on the page. And for the most part it was great – it brought the character to life, fleshed him out, gave him a drive and a purpose. But it made playing Ben absolute hell.

Because the only way Ben would respond as the script dictated to _this_ version of Vader was to play on sexual tension. And the boundary between understated and basically married was very thin.

Obi-Wan turned and glanced at Cody. His agent seemed to be staring intently at his phone, but there was a coy smile on his face. He was enjoying this, the bastard. He knew what this was doing to Obi-Wan’s psyche.

“Alright, we’re going to go again. Try and tone it all down a bit this time. This isn’t a dramatic scene, no need to over-act it.”

Obi-Wan hoped they wouldn’t need too many more run throughs, because he might need a cold shower.

“You were pretty good out there.”

Obi-Wan had wanted to make a quick escape from set and curl up at home with a cup of tea, but apparently the universe had other plans.

“Of course, I’ve seen your films, so I knew you would be, but I’m impressed.” That smirk was back on Anakin’s face.

It was not fair that even after being scrubbed clean of stage-makeup and fourteen hours of work, Anakin could look this good.

“Thank you. You’re extremely talented yourself. You really engage with the character you’re playing.”

Anakin seemed to light up at the compliment.

“I like getting into my character’s heads. Vader’s interesting, even if he can be a bit… evil at times.”

Obi-Wan snorted. “You mean that part when he gets angry and kills a load of innocent people.”

“Ben’s not exactly a paragon of virtue.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t believe he was getting into an argument about the morality of their characters when he wanted to go home.

“No, but then who is?”

Anakin’s eyes twinkled mischievously.

 “I really must get going I’m afraid.” Obi-Wan continued. “But I’ll see you tomorrow. Based on today, I think it could be an interesting scene to do.”

“Assuming they don’t do rewrites.”

Obi-Wan raised an eyebrow. “You think they’ll rewrite?”

“I think Mundi and Mace were discussing ideas because of how I played Vader, and how we worked together. Nothing major. They don’t have time to change too much, we’re on a pretty tight schedule.”

“I would be amazed if Yoda allowed rewrites at this stage.”

“I think they could help. Having played Vader for a day, there are now some lines that I can see not working. I’m sure you’re the same with Ben.”

“There are a few.” Obi-Wan conceded, before glancing at his watch. “Perhaps we could discuss this tomorrow?”

Anakin smirked. “It’s a date then, Obi-Wan.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help the somewhat sarcastic eyebrow raise.

Anakin’s laugh followed him all the way to the car.

/

“Fucking Palpatine.”

Obi-Wan glanced up at Anakin as the man flopped into the seat next to him.

“You had an argument with your agent?”

“Oh we argue all the time about the way I play things. He thinks I should be less emotional with Vader, play less on the sexual tension and his past and more on the sense of duty. Which makes sense as the only emotion I’ve ever seen him show is anger. I’m not sure he has a heart.”

Obi-Wan resisted the urge to comment. It wouldn’t do to slate off Anakin’s agent, even if he was angry with him, and even if it was Palpatine.

“I’m surprised your agent’s been fine with the change in direction.”

Obi-Wan smiled. “Cody and I go way back. He leaves the way I choose to act to me, which is the way I prefer it. He’s more like a friend than an agent at this point.” He paused. “Besides, I think it amuses him.”

“Amuses him?” There was a hint of something in Anakin’s voice.

“You’re a lot more media savvy than I am, so I’m sure you know the rumours. It amuses him to see me playing someone with so much sexual tension when he knows there hasn’t been any of that in my life in recent times.”

For a moment, silence reigned. Obi-Wan glanced at Anakin and found him looking at Obi-Wan, and inscrutable expression on his face.

“Do you want there to be?” He asked finally.

“Unlike many people I have no problems being single, nor any problems being celibate. That doesn’t mean I always have been or always will be, of course.”

“That doesn’t really answer the question.”

Obi-Wan thought for a moment.

He’d been working with the man for a few weeks now, and he knew Anakin better than he’d ever thought he would. He completely understood why he had a diva reputation – his reaction when one of the cameramen had messed up an entire scene had been explosive – but he had a softer side as well, one that didn’t come out to play as often. He cared, strongly – too strong, in many ways. Obi-Wan could appreciate that. He could even admit he found it quite attractive.

But therin lay the problem. For weeks, Obi-Wan and Anakin had been getting into the shoes of their characters and effectively spent all day flirting with each other. Oh, it was subtle, after the first day, but it was undoubtedly there, twinned around every word. And as the relationship between their characters developed, so had the relationship between Obi-Wan and Anakin outside of that. They had spent times in between takes talking – sometimes about the shoot, but sometimes just about each other, and life, and anything and everything that came into their heads. Obi-Wan hadn’t been this close to a co-star since Qui-Gon.

With that level of closeness, and persistently playing sexual tension, he couldn’t deny that his initial attraction to Anakin had become something… more.

But Anakin was a playboy. He was quite open about it – they’d discussed Padme, and there were definitely lingering feelings there that Obi-Wan didn’t want to think about. But they’d also discussed the other side of Anakin’s sex life, the side that went to bars and picked up people of all genders and experimented and had fun. It reminded Obi-Wan of a time long ago that he’d done his best to put out of his head. He was far too old for all that now.

So yes, Obi-Wan wanted Anakin. But he wasn’t the type for one-night stands. If he went there, it would be a multi-time thing. Possibly even a relationship thing. And Anakin… Anakin had only ever had a relationship with Padme, and it was an on-and-off saga punctuated by illicit actions on both sides. Obi-Wan didn’t even know if he was out with his sexuality – experimenting with both sides in clubs was much easier to hide than a long term relationship.

“With the right person, I wouldn’t be opposed.” Obi-Wan finally answered.

Obi-Wan didn’t think he’d ever seen a person actually smoulder before.

“Good.”

One word, and Obi-Wan was definitely fucked.

/

“The lighting’s wrong.”

Obi-Wan tried valiantly to resist the urge to sigh. He had been on set for over fourteen hours, and he was shattered. All his muscles ached, his brain was scrambled from trying to remember the lines, and his eyes hurt because no matter what the technicians did the light always seemed to be shining right into them.

“Move that spotlight to the left and turn it down, goddamnit. You’re making everyone squint and it looks awful. Someone grab Kenobi some eye drops, he looks like he has a hangover.”

“I feel like it too.” Obi-Wan muttered to himself, hoping Windu wouldn’t pick up on it. Most of the time he loved his job, but it was starting to feel slightly like torture.

“I would kill for a beer right about now.”

Obi-Wan glanced over at Anakin. “If I felt slightly less like imminent collapse I’d agree with you, but I’m pretty certain alcohol would just send me right to sleep.”

Anakin grinned. “I can picture you as a cuddly, sleepy drunk.”

“I do not get cuddly!”

The sheer affront in Obi-Wan’s voice sent Anakin into a fit of laughter.

“Obi-Wan? I have eye drops and coffee.”

“Cody, you’re a saint.” Obi-Wan turned to his assistant and grabbed the coffee, trying not to drain it all in one go. “Any chance this’ll be wrapped up before midnight.”

“None. I feel sorry for the lighting technicians. They’re doing their best, but all the props are making it a complete nightmare. They’ll probably be up all night trying to figure out how to attach more to the ceiling or something.”

“Don’t. The only thing worse than doing another take of this scene now would be to repeat it ten times tomorrow because they changed the lighting again.” Obi-Wan drained the last of his coffee and switched the empty mug for the eye drops.

“Oh I’m sure I can think of worse.”

Had his eyes been less painful, Obi-Wan would have rolled them at Cody.

“Alright, we’re setting up for another take. I don’t want anyone to be here longer than they have to.”

“Lies.”

Obi-Wan glanced back at Anakin, his mouth curving into a smile at the response. “Wait until they start needing reshoots. You haven’t heard half of his bullshit yet.”

Anakin snorted.

Cody clapped Obi-Wan on the shoulder. “Are you actually going to use those eye drops? Windu’s starting to glare at me and I’m dreaming of a nap as much as you are.”

Obi-Wan quickly squirted a couple of drops into each eye, blinking away the sting. It would be amazing if he could keep them open at all tomorrow. As unprofessional as it was, he was sorely tempted to call in sick just to avoid the pain of more bright lights.

“Hey, Obi-Wan.”

“Yes Anakin?”

Obi-Wan met the other man’s gaze. There was something strangely intense in his eyes that made something in Obi-Wan’s chest constrict.

“If we do get out of here before midnight, d’you wanna come over for a beer? You can crash in the spare room. I just really want to chill out, and I think they’ll cut us some slack tomorrow because of how late it’s run today.”

“Slack? You clearly don’t know Windu at all.”

Something flashed in Anakin’s eyes. Obi-Wan’s resolve faltered.

Truthfully, he was tired, and he wanted nothing more than to just go home and collapse. But at the same time – he and Anakin had been flirting since the start. Obi-Wan couldn’t deny that, probably against his better judgement, something had been building – and if Anakin had really chosen now to confront that, he wasn’t sure he could say no.

Because he was sure that was what this was. Anakin wasn’t just inviting him over for a casual drink. The tone of his voice, the intensity in his gaze – Anakin was escalating the tension that had been there for weeks now. It almost seemed to be costing him something. Which made no sense, because it was Obi-Wan who didn’t do this. Anakin was well renowned for his extraordinary lack of restraint.

“I’d like that.” He finally replied, softly, perhaps too honestly – but the way Anakin’s eyes darkened in triumph and promise…

Obi-Wan was almost certain that, whether he should or not, he wasn’t going to regret this decision.

/

Windu finally called it a day at 23:47. Obi-Wan knew, because he had spent the last half an hour checking his watch in anticipation. He was distracted, and he knew his acting was suffering, but he was tired and in pain and had stopped caring several hours ago. The anticipation was eating at his insides.

“Get some sleep. Kenobi, Skywalker, be back at 7 sharp tomorrow, we’re going to need to play catch-up.”

Obi-Wan barely even glanced at Mace as he trudged off set. In fact, he didn’t even look at Cody. Instead, he wandered straight over to Anakin and set one hand on his shoulder.

“What’s your address?”

“We can both take my car, it’s easier. You look too tired to drive anyway. Five minutes.”

Anakin’s voice was low and quiet, and Obi-Wan could already feel heat pooling in his stomach. He squeezed Anakin’s shoulder in acknowledgement and wandered back over to Cody.

“Of all the times for you to decide to get laid-“

“Cody.” Obi-Wan’s voice was sharp.

“Alright, alright. But seriously, Skywalker?”

“Cody-“

“Just please make my job easy and wait until you’re both indoors. The last thing I need to deal with right now is a scandal, I’m too tired.”

“There won’t be a scandal.” Probably.

“For the sake of both our sanities I hope you’re right.”

“Goodnight, Cody.”

Obi-Wan knew he should be worried. This was Anakin Skywalker. Obi-Wan didn’t follow the tabloids, but he had become increasingly aware of how much the tabloids followed Anakin. He created drama wherever he went. Even leaving a film set at midnight, there might be reporters. Going back to his costars house at midnight wasn’t normal, and reporters loved to speculate…

But truthfully, Obi-Wan wasn’t worried. He was tired, fed up of being on set, and fed up of being Obi-Wan Kenobi. His skin felt like it had an electrical current running through it and his brain was buzzing. No, he wasn’t worried at all.

He felt reckless.

Collecting together his bag and coat, Obi-Wan started to wander towards the exit of the studio. With every step he took, he felt the current in his skin ratchet up a notch. He hadn’t felt less in control for years. It was almost freeing.

He reached the door and saw a familiar silhouette outside.

Obi-Wan stepped out slowly. Anakin’s eyes snapped up and met his own, and the eye contact was electrifying in a way that Obi-Wan had never felt.

Silently, Anakin pulled open the passenger door of his car. Any other time, Obi-Wan would have noticed what a nice car it was, but right now all his focus was on Anakin.

He was almost impressed with himself for getting in the car rather than jumping the man then and there. But Obi-Wan was famed for his restraint, and even now, he could maintain some illusion of control.

As soon as Anakin had climbed in and shut the doors, the temperature seemed to increase. Obi-Wan was hyper aware of how close the other man was. It wasn’t like their proximity was unusual, this time – this time it was different.

“It’s not far.” Anakin’s rough was rougher than normal. Obi-Wan shivered.

“Good.”

Even as he responded, Obi-Wan was flashing back to another conversation, the one that had cemented their interest for the first time. From the way his hands tightened on the steering wheel, he guessed Anakin was remembering it too.

Later, Obi-Wan wouldn’t remember much of the drive. Maybe it was sleep deprivation, or too much caffeine, but whatever it was his memory was a blank from when they set off until Anakin pulled up outside a nice house on a private, gated road.

Anakin practically marched up the drive to the front door, leaving Obi-Wan hurrying to keep up. He walked with purpose, his eyes set straight ahead and glowing with determination. His hand was shaking where he was holding the car keys.

They just about made it into the house with the door closed before Anakin finally pounced.

He slammed Obi-Wan back against the wall hard enough that his muscles protested, but he didn’t care – Anakin’s mouth was warm against his and this had been building for too long, far too long. Obi-Wan kissed back like a dying man given the elixir of life. Even through his clothes he could feel the taut muscles of Anakin’s body – and he was glad to realise that he clearly hadn’t been the only one desperate for this.

Anakin’s mouth slid down to his neck and he bit down – not hard enough to leave a mark but hard enough that Obi-Wan gasped, rocking up against him like a teenager.

“Bed.” He bit out.

“Here is fine.” Anakin growled.

Obi-Wan tried to protest – he wasn’t as young as he once had been, and his body was already shattered – but Anakin did something with his tongue that left Obi-Wan keening, and he couldn’t complain after that.

His hands slid up under Anakin’s t-shirt, stroking over the firm planes of his chest. The muscles twitched under Obi-Wan’s touch, and when he reached the other man’s nipples Anakin let out a string of curses.

“Sensitive.”

“Fuck are you still… talking…”

A hand slid down into Obi-Wan’s pants and then he was the one cursing, letting his head fall back against the wall as his hips mindlessly chased much-needed friction.

Normally, Obi-Wan liked to take his time. He didn’t have sex that often, so when he did it was slow, gradually building and building until reaching a climax. He didn’t indulge in quick handjobs or hasty fucks with clothes still on. It was always thorough and satisfying, a full exploration of pleasure before the final event.

But Anakin and Obi-Wan had effectively been building up to this for weeks. Neither had any time or patience for that kind of sex.

It had been a while, but Obi-Wan was still surprised when he came in under five minutes, spasming in Anakin’s hand and still wearing his underwear let alone everything else. He was even more surprised when Anakin followed less than a minute afterwards, rutting senselessly against Obi-Wan before crying out and grasping finger-shaped bruises onto Obi-Wan’s hips.

It wasn’t the best sex he had ever had by a long shot, but he was still going to fantasise about this for the rest of his life.

“Fuck.” Anakin finally gasped.

“Fuck indeed.” Obi-Wan agreed.

And then they were laughing, the full absurdity of the situation finally catching up on him.

“I need a shower, and then to sleep for a week.” Obi-Wan leant his head forward against Anakin’s shoulder. It was surprisingly comfortable, and had the situation in his pants been less unpleasant he might have been tempted to just stay there and let himself fall asleep.

“Shower and sleep. Fucking perfect. Windu can fucking stick it if he expects us on set at 7 tomorrow.”

Obi-Wan tried to argue, but Anakin kissed the argument from his lips – and well, he couldn’t deny the effectiveness of that strategy.

/

The next morning, Obi-Wan suffered through three separate rants – from Cody, Dorme, and Windu – about turning up an hour and a half late with a hickey resembling Alaska on his neck. He hoped that they thought the resulting blush was apologetic rather than him reminiscing about the way Anakin had woken him up.

(Because once they had slept together once it was inevitable that it would happen again. And again. Obi-Wan had no idea where Anakin had gotten his flexibility from, but it was practically a religious experience).

The next evening, someone got hold of an image of Obi-Wan and Anakin chatting and drinking coffee on set. This wouldn’t have been remarkable aside from the hickeys visible on both of them. Obi-Wan tried to apologise to Cody, but his assistant was too busy mumbling about karma and overdue scandals to pay any attention.

The day after that, Jango Fett tailed their car to a restaurant and managed to get a photo of them kissing goodbye. It was front page news within half an hour.

Things weren’t perfect. Obi-Wan was reserved and more than a little reclusive, and he hated scandal with a passion. Anakin was a scandal magnet. He argued, he did everything was almost too much passion, and sometimes Obi-Wan just couldn’t keep up with his constant energy.

But that didn’t matter. Even with the fights, and the media circus, Obi-Wan wouldn’t change a thing. He had never wanted a fairy-tale ending, or two-kids-and-a-white-picket-fence. In the end, Anakin made him happy. And that, really, was all that mattered.


End file.
